The Shepherds and the Snake
by EternalCobra34
Summary: What happens when the Shepherds take an amnesic snake into their care? Hopefully not the same thing as the farmer and the viper. [I do not own cover image, it was made by an artist called miso.] HAZAMA miso [pixiv]
1. Crossing Boundaries

**I do not own Fire Emblem or BlazBlue, which are owned by their respective companies.**

* * *

Floating, that was the first thing I felt when I gained consciousness. I couldn't open my eyes, but I could feel that there wasn't anything around me. No life, no wind, no light, no nothing. I was in one big empty void. Suddenly, through the darkness of my eyelids, a blue light enveloped my vision until I lost consciousness.

I regain consciousness again, this time I can feel grass to the back of my body, and the gentle breeze of the wind. I hear a couple people talking. One is unmistakably a girl's, and the other two are men. One of the men had a worried tone, while the other was more critical. I'm finally able to open my eyes. I see two of them standing by me, it was a man and a girl. They look like they're of high social standing based on the clothes they're wearing. Another man, who was in a suit of armor, came into my view on a horse.

"Milord, are you sure of this decision?", it was the voice of the critical man.

"Yeah, I'm sure," the other man answered, "We can't just leave someone unconscious in the middle of the fields. As the Shepherds, we have sworn to protect the people have we not?"

"Indeed, but many a times have bandits played a wounded gazelle gambit, and I cannot allow you to make a decision without knowing full well of the dangers they may entail."

I'm finally able to move and start getting up.

"Hey guys, he's moving!" the girl was talking.

The three converged towards me, and the man with blue hair was the first to talk, "Hello there," he said with a smile. "Here take my hand," the blue haired man offers his hand. I felt weird, I was missing something. I look back near where my head was and saw a hat, my hat. I put it back where it belongs and take the man up on his offer. He lifts me up with one arm without struggle.

"My thanks," I said out of respect.

"No problem. There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Are you alright?"

"Yes. In fact, I feel like a million bucks."

"That's good to hear. 'A million bucks'? I've never heard that one before. Where do you come from?"

"I uhh. Umm," I freeze up, I can't remember anything: my birthplace, my profession, my daily routine, everything about myself and the world.

Did I even have anything to begin with? When I first gained consciousness, it felt like I was just born into the world, but if I were born into the world recently, how would I be able to talk and think like a full-grown adult already? The only logical explanation would be that I must've lost my memories then.

"Funny that you asked, I don't remember," I scratch the back of my head, perplexed.

"You don't remember where you came from?" the man was naturally surprised.

I shrugged, "Yes, in fact, I can't remember anything at all."

The girl gasped. "Hey, I've heard of this! It's called amnesia!"

"That may be so, but we can never be sure of the thoughts of a stranger, let alone a foreigner," the skeptic voiced his opinion, which was very good advice, given how crazy people can to be.

"Ok, so let's take him to the nearest town and sort this out there," the blue haired man reasoned.

This seemed to placate the brown haired man, "A wise choice, milord. I will conduct an interrogation once we arrive at a town".

The lord turned to me, "You have no problem with this, right?"

"No, no, I'm fine," I assure, "I don't really have anywhere else to go, so I might as well go with you".

The blue lord and the petite girl were walking in front, while the wary man on his horse, who I assume to be a knight, kept me under his watch.

"So," the fit lord tried to strike a conversation, "you don't remember anything?"

"No, nothing at all," I answered truthfully.

"But you do remember how to talk, and you used that weird phrase about deer," he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I didn't forget everything," obviously, "just things about myself and the world."

"Do you at least remember your name?"

"No. Actually," I think I have something, it's rather annoying. I know it's there, but it's just out of my reach. H, my name starts with an H. H- H- H-. I just can't seem to think of anything. "H-Henry?"

"Your name is Henry?" the blue haired man asked

"No, just thinking aloud. Give me a moment," I went back to mumbling names, "Harry? Hanoka? Hanzo? Hazzie?" I can feel it, "Hazama…" That's right. "Hazama," That's right! "Hazama! Ahh yes, my name is Hazama!" I bow to them with my hat in my right hand, "A pleasure to meet you all."

"Hazama?" the one-sleeved lord said confused, "What a strange name. But nonetheless," he started smiling again, "it too is my pleasure to meet you Hazama. Speaking of names, I guess introductions are in order. My name is Chrom, the delicate one is my sister, Lissa."

"I am not delicate!" the petite girl burst out, her brother laughing at her expense. "Ignore what my brother said, I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

Chrom had a sly smile, "Like that one time you tried to carry a stack of firewood by yourself?"

"Hey!" Lissa objected, "In my defense, five logs are very heavy to carry."

"Which is exactly why I insisted that I carry it. You were lucky to only stub your toe on a pebble, but what if the logs had crushed your feet?" the stoic had unironically preached.

"Frederiiiiick…" Lissa emphasized, mortified as Chrom laughed even more.

"What? It is simply the truth," the man I now know as Frederick defended.

Chrom settled down and pointed his thumb to my ever watchful escort, "Anyways, like what Lissa said, that there is Frederick the Wary."

"I can see where he got the 'Wary' part from," I voiced my opinion.

"If you can see my wariness then it means I'm performing my duties correctly," Frederick explained, "In my profession, it is essential that I live up to my title, and I wear it with great pride. As a knight of Ylisse, I cannot allow any possible threat that I encounter to go unchecked."

So he accepts his title with pride ay. That's good and all but, "Ylisse, huh. Is that the name of a town or a country?"

"Our country's," Chrom answered, "Ylisse is a Haildom ran by our leader, Emmeryn. Directly to the West of Ylisse is Plegia, to the North is Regna Ferox, and there's a separate continent to the far west called Valm."

Haildom, never heard of that before. Is that supposed to be some kind of monarchy? As much as I'd like to know that answer, I have more important things on my mind, "Hmm, none of those names sound familiar."

"Do not fear, take it one step at a time, and you'll remember one day," Chrom assured, despite never having amnesia.

* * *

So I got to know the group on our way to our destination, Southtown. Chrom was pretty much a nice guy that'd help out others in need of help, Lissa was a free-spirited girl that happens to be a devoted healer, and Frederick keeps them out of trouble, maybe a little too much though. Simple enough.

Chrom and the group stopped when we got to the town walls. The guards spotted us and stumbled a bit before saluting. "Milord and milady! We weren't expecting you two to visit this humble town!"

"Peace, my friends," Chrom calmed the guards, "We picked up someone that woke up with no memories in the middle of the fields. I want a couple guards to go with Frederick and clear our green friend of any suspicion."

"Right away milord!" Wow, these guards are taking Chrom really seriously. So we made our way inside the barracks, and are now standing outside the interrogation room.

"Well, we're here. We'll see you two when you're done with the inspection." Chrom waved good bye.

"It'll be brief milord." Frederick promised. He and two guards took me inside the room.

* * *

The room emptied out and we were met by Chrom. "So, how'd it go?"

Frederick replied, "His answers were deemed truthful and the inspection indicated he is unarmed. He is free to go."

I sighed. "So, this is how it feels to be out in the world."

"Excited to be free I see," Chrom joked, "Is there something you're worried about?"

"Yeah, I may be free, but I don't know what to do now." I shrugged.

"Huh." Chrom went into thought for a bit, "I believe the folks around here might need a hand, maybe you could find some work with them."

"I don't know about that, farming doesn't look very… fitting for me. But if it comes down to it, I guess it'll do."

"Hmm," Chrom stared at my attire, "you definitely don't strike me as a farmer, you're too fancily dressed for that. Now that I think of it, it looks as if you were on your way to a ball."

"I guess so." Was I supposed to be a noble?

"But then again," Chrom interrupted my thoughts, "Frederick always wears a suit under his armor."

Hmm, I guess knights here could be of high social standing too. "Really? Guess you always need to be professional when you're with royalty."

Chrom looked at Frederick before giving a great big sigh, "You have no idea." Lissa's face showed sympathy to what Chrom said.

* * *

"You're sure about this." I asked.

"Sure I am." Chrom said without hesitation, "Until you get a well paying job, we'll be staying here and paying for your living expenses at this inn."

"Thank you very much for all you've done for me Chrom, I can't thank you enough," I bowed.

Chrom paid the innkeeper, who was flabbergasted by said lord, and I went on to my room. It had a bed, some drawers, a desk with either a flower or candle, and a simple window. It was cozy enough, but why a candle? Did we revert to Medieval Times or something?

"Are you good Hazama?" my blue benefactor asked.

"Yes, feels just like home."

"Alright, Lissa, Frederick, and I will be going on a stroll through the town. Do you care to come?" he offered.

"No thanks," I declined, "I'm gonna stay and think about the future, there's a lot I have on my mind."

"Very well. I'll see you in the morning then."

"You too."

* * *

"…e…r… …e…r… w… …o... …m"

"Who's there?" I opened my eyes, only to find out that mysterious voice was just a dream. I went back to trying to sleep. After said failed attempts, I got dressed and went outside.

I sat on a bench just outside the inn. It was almost empty, save the occasional guard or late sleepers. I noticed that a person in a purple cloak sat on another bench opposite to me.

I continued to stare out at the city. "Couldn't get much sleep, could you?"

A gentle and feminine voice replied, "No. You?"

"Same here," I sighed, "just busy thinking about what I'm gonna do. I have no idea what to do with my life, I'm just stuck here twiddling my thumbs."

"Really? No place to go back to?"

"Can't remember," I pointed to my head, "Woke up in the middle of nowhere and can't remember a thing except for my name."

"That's horrible!" she was taken aback, "At least you made it to town safe."

"Yeah, but then again I only got here because some good people found me and dropped me off here," I admitted.

"Oh, I see," she took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm out here because I have too much on my mind."

"Oh, do you want to talk about it?" I offered.

She giggled in relief, "No, it's just a personal dilemma, nothing to worry a stranger about."

"If you say so." We continued to sit in silence.

"…Robin," she said out of the blue.

"Hmm?"

"My name is Robin."

"Oh, a pleasure to meet you Robin. My name is Hazama." I greeted with my hat.

"Hazama?" Robin said quizzically, "Your name sounds Chon'sinian."

"Chon'sinian?" I said, clueless.

"You don't know what I'm talking about?"

"No, not at all." I confirmed.

"I see. Chon'sin is a country in the continent Valm, which is west of Ylisse." Robin explained.

"Ahh yes, Valm, my benefactors did mention it was a continent."

I heard the creak of Robin's bench as she got up from her seat and walked towards me. "Can I see your face?" she asked.

"Sure." I got up from my seat. I couldn't really see her face or hair, but I stared into her granite eyes.

"… And can you open your eyes." she deadpanned.

"My eyes? You want my eyes to open wide then?"

"Err, yes."

Seriously? Do I really open my eyes that thinly? "Ok then."

I 'open' my eyes, and she looked unusually surprised. "Oh, your eyes, they're yellow," she observed.

Yellow eyes? You don't see those everyday. "Hmm, I suppose yellow eyes are quite unusual, but isn't granite also rare?"

"Yes, but, your eyes, the yellow is in place of the white. The center of your eye is black, and the outside is yellow," she defended.

"Ohhhh. Then yes, that is strange. I never did get a good look at my eyes when I looked in the mirror."

Robin continued with her observations, "Other than your eyes, you look Chon'sinian. I believe your answers lie there."

"Thanks, I won't forget about your kindness, Miss Robin."

"You're welcome," she replied.

I sat back down, while Robin sat on the same bench as me on the opposite end, and we kept staring ahead.

*BOOM!*

Suddenly, we heard a huge explosion. We looked where it came from and there was smoke coming from its direction.

"Go find help! I'm going to help the guards!" Robin rushed towards the smoke.

I went back inside the inn and knocked on Chrom's door. "Chrom!" I shouted. Frederick opened the door.

"You heard the explosion?" I asked.

"Yes, we are preparing for battle," he replied.

"Alright, I'll go find more help." I ran out.

* * *

I made it to the guards' barracks, and it was completely empty. Looks like they're quick on the draw.

Despite common sense, I dashed to the chaos that Chrom and the others should be in. I really wanted to see the battle.

While I was dashing to the smoke, civilians ran past me. Also, I just noticed something about the streets. There's absolutely no street lamps. Was civilization here really that technologically backwards? Soon, there weren't any civies in sight, when suddenly-

"Ragh!" Someone jumped at me, and on instinct, I kicked him in the stomach. He held his stomach in pain before I elbowed the top of his head.

I shook my head, "Ooo, tsk tsk tsk, so close."

Three enemies surrounded me, one had an ax, one had a mace, and the other had a sword and buckler. The one with the sword had an idea, "Hey, maybe we could use this 'hero' as a hostage? Maybe that'll net us some sweet gold from Gerrick!" The three bandits cackled.

Well this doesn't look good. I looked back at the bandit that so miserably failed to ambush me, and took his knives. I sized them up, I don't know why, but I think I can take'm. They looked sloppy, inexperienced. When I knocked out that other guy, I was fast, very fast. This can end in only one way.

The first one charged at me with his sword in the air, and shield in front, followed by his backups. I waited for them to get close, before walking to the one with the sword. He tried to ram me with his shield, but I stepped to the side and kicked him off balance, sending him flying towards the one with the axe. The mace user tried to strike me, but I danced around him lazily. I analyzed his fighting pattern, before I found my opportunity to counter. I wrapped his arm around mine, and I slit his throat.

"You bastard! Stop smiling!" one of the bandits said. I'm smiling? Intriguing. I never noticed, but I don't feel happy. In fact I don't really feel anything at all. This feels normal.

"What's the matter? I'm just taking out the trash." I taunted.

"You bastard! Ragh!" Both of them charged at me.

The sword user attacked me first, while the axe user tried to flank me from the side. I once again tripped the sword user and caused him to get axed by his pal.

"Woah, why'd you do that for? Weren't you on the same side?" I asked in mock innocence.

"Shut up! I'm about'a get triple the pay for bringing in a hostage! Just lie down and cry!" he shouted.

"Ooo, scary. Are you just gonna stand there and talk or are you actually gonna do something? I'm kinda bored." I chided.

The man growled at me like an angry cat that was hissing and choking on a hairball at the same time. He was absolutely furious, he was even frothing from the mouth. I had no idea such a state of anger was even possible. He charged at me again with his axe raised. I attempted to trip him, but I saw that he was eyeing my legs. So I pulled my leg out a little, and when he tried to lop it off, I pulled back my leg. He was staggered from his axe being bounced off the ground, and I tripped him by kicking the back of his legs. When he fell face first into the ground, I stabbed the back of his head.

I looked around the corpses of the bandits, and I looted rope from one of them. I tied up the unconscious bandit that generously gave me his knives and left him on the ground. I put the knives in their sheaths, to the side of my hips, and continued sprinting towards the smoke.

* * *

I heard fire being blasted in the distance. "Hold the line!" I distinctly heard Robin shout.

When I got to the wall, I saw that Robin was leading the guards to deal with the bandits trying to come through the hole, Lissa was healing the wounded, while Chrom, Frederick, and a couple other guards were dealing with the bandits already inside. It was an absolute massacre, in favor of the town that is. Frederick speared a big guy that had red war painting.

"They took down Garrick!" a bandit cried, "Run! Every man for himself!"

The bandits scattered without their leader, the ones outside just booked it, which allowed Robin and the guards to focus on the bandits inside.

"Lay down your arms if you wish to live!" Robin commanded.

The wild-eyed bandits looked at each other before throwing down their weapons and putting their hands in the air.

I walked up to Robin. "Did I miss the party?"

"Does this look like a party?" she deadpanned, "It never even began," she smirked.

"Oh, well in that case," I bowed, "thanks for not inviting me then. You are a true lady, Miss Robin."

Chrom and the group gathered with us. He looked at my knives. "Hazama? You can fight?"

"Apparently yes," I said, "There was a group of four that got through," Chrom and Robin were a little shaken by that statement, "don't worry, I took care of them."

"Oh, that's a relief," Chrom sighed, followed by Robin's own relieved sighing. "If you're good at fighting, I think I have the perfect job for you, Hazama."

"I hear you," I knew where this was going.

"How about joining the Shepherds, we could use another member," Chrom then pointed to Robin, "You too-"

"Wait, Shepherds? As in the Shepherds, led by Chrom, the Prince of Ylisse?" Robin asked.

"Why yes," Chrom confirmed. Robin closed her eyes in thought and took a deep breath.

"We could use a fine tactician in the Shepherds," Chrom finished.

"Well," I started, "considering I don't really want to do manual labor all my life, yes. I would like to take you up on your offer on becoming a Shepherd."

"Very well," Chrom nodded and turned back to Robin, "and you?"

"..." Robin opened her eyes and gave her answer. "Yes, yes I would like to become a Shepherd."

So, I'm stuck in a place with Medieval technology. I just joined a Prince's military force called the Shepherds. And I'm joining with a tactician that seems to know about the place I might be from. Well, well, well, looks like things are about to get interesting.

* * *

 **Author Notes: Hey guys… Well, this is my first fanfic about my favorite character from BlazBlue. This was inspired by Storm VII's "A Reaper's Awakening" and CrackPairingLover's "Still Alive: Phase 1"** **. I'm gonna say this now, I will not be able to cover interactions with every Shepherd, there's too many characters and some characters aren't very compatible with Hazama for making entertaining scenes. But that won't stop me from finding a way to make it happen. Also, fair warning, I'm a slow writer, so expect me to update every 10 years. So yeah, you guys can review for the next 10 years till I post the next update. Criticism is accepted, but flaming/trolling is fair game for deletion. Until next time, have a killer day.**


	2. Welcome to the Shepherds

**I do not own Fire Emblem or BlazBlue, which are owned by their respective companies.**

* * *

"Wait a second!" Lissa interrupted. She pointed to Robin, "Hazama, you did hear uhh, sorry, what was your name again? I didn't really hear it."

"Robin," my cloaked acquaintance answered, slightly at a loss because of the princess' sunny disposition.

"Yeah!" Lissa continued, "Robin said that Chrom was the Prince of Ylisse! Didn't you hear that!?"

"Yes," I flatly replied.

"Why aren't you surprised!?" the petite girl shouted, "Even Robin was surprised that we were royalty!"

"Well," I put my hands in my pockets, "to be honest, the guards and people already treated you both like royalty, so it wasn't too surprising."

"Yeah, I guess," Lissa crossed her arms in defeat, before throwing her arms up, "But you're still way too calm about all this! Not even Frederick's that calm!"

"What do you want from me?" I asked. "That's just how I am. Unless you want me to address you properly, your highness?" Time to get dramatic, "Oh Princess Lissa, your royal majesty," I jestingly bowed, "what would you request of the humble me?"

Chrom let out a hearty laugh, while Robin made a small sound that I assume to be a chuckle.

"Ugh, now you're just rubbing it in." the princess said with a sour face. She continued to express her dissatisfaction, "And I was so looking forward to seeing your face when you learned we were royalty".

"Sorry your majesty," I said professionally, "but I'm always one-hundred percent serious. No time for fun or entertainment with me, no siree."

Lissa made an annoyed sound, leading to Chrom bursting out in laughter, much to his sister's annoyance. When he regained his composure, he turned to Robin and me, and addressed us professionally, "I am glad you both decided to join the Shepherds in defending Ylisse. An extra hand and a tactician will go a long way for us. Thank you."

Robin and I returned Chrom's thanking. I noticed that Frederick was scanning Robin. He was glaring at the purple eye pattern on her cloak.

Judging by Chrom's concerned expression, looks like he caught on too, "Is something the matter, Frederick?"

The knight turned away from Robin to answer his lord, "No," Frederick attempted to placate his lord, the knight still seemed bothered by Robin's cloak, "nothing is amiss."

Under Robin's hood, I could see a scowl. She's quite observant. From that and how easily she dispatched the bandits, I can see why she'd make a great tactician.

"Alright," the blue-haired prince said, "I think it's time we went back to sleep. At noon, we head for Ylisstol."

With that, we went back to the inn, while the guards went back to their posts, rounded up the prisoners, and assessed the damage done to the wall and the surrounding areas.

* * *

We were finally out in the road again. It feels refreshing not having an armored knight ready to execute you at the slightest misstep. Before we went out on the road, I tried to look in the bathroom for a mirror… suffice to say, I was disappointed in more ways than one. Granted I should've expected as much from Medieval technology, but still. Plus, it also brought up more questions. Were bathrooms real, or is my amnesia playing tricks on me? Were lampposts real, or were they just some weird lamps spawned from my imagination? Am I a time traveler? But I never even heard of Ylisse before, but then again, I don't remember anything. Ugh, this is all too confusing. I'll sort out my thoughts later, things are going too fast for me to follow.

Anyways, back on topic, we're going to the Shepherds' garrison in Ylisstol. No one actually saw me fight, so Frederick's going to test me out to see if I'm really Shepherd material.

Since I was cleared of suspicion, Frederick had to find another victim, "Robin," he started probing, "you are Plegian, are you not?"

She tensed up much like the victim being judged by their race, "So that's what your wariness of me is attributed to," Robin lamented, "Yes, I am Plegian, what of it?"

"I noticed that a few of the bandits we routed had a Plegian accent, and it is quite suspicious that another Plegian would coincidentally be in the same town as them and help the guards in front of the Ylissian Prince." Frederick wasn't wrong, the sequence of events he described was definitely suspicious.

Not that I suspected Robin though, she seemed far too innocent. When I saw her eyes during the bandit raid, I saw determination to not let any of the townsfolk or guards die.

"So therefore I am a Plegian spy?" she put together, "I was afraid I would face discrimination in Ylisse, and I was not wrong. I know you will not accept my words, so instead observe my actions in battle, and you will see I am no enemy to Ylisse."

"Forgive me for my wary tendencies," Frederick the Wary apologized, "you seem to be a fair lady, but I must always remain the skeptic to ensure the safety of milord and milady. One battle against Plegian bandits isn't enough to convince me of your innocence."

"I see," Robin seemed upset yet relieved at the same time, "You are very dedicated to Chrom."

"Indeed, I am," the knight nodded.

"I believe I would do the same as you in order to protect those close to me," there was a hint of sadness in her tone when she talked about protecting others. Is that why she was up at night? Did she lose someone in the past?

"Yes, so until then, you will be under my watch," Frederick ended.

With that tense little situation defused, we kept going our merry little way.

* * *

Out in the distance, there were two figures on the road. A redheaded man on a horse, and a fancily dressed man with an archer's bow. Chrom and Lissa smiled.

"Hey, Sully, we're over here!" the blue-head waved.

The redhead's horse started galloping towards Chrom, and the other guy tried to keep up. On closer inspection, the redhead wasn't a man, and was in fact a woman. Oops. "Hey Chrom, it's been awhile. How'd patrol go?" the masculine woman grinned.

"Got two more Shepherds to add to our ranks. Also had to fight off a bunch of brigands, nothing we couldn't handle," Chrom bragged. "How about you?"

"Didn't get much action," the red-head pointed her thumb back at the out-of-breath man behind her, "The only action I got was getting hit on by Ruffles over there."

A panting Ruffles finally caught up to the woman. "My dear Sully, I wasn't done telling you how I slew five assassins at once."

"See what I mean?" the horseback woman scowled. "So," the muscular woman assessed Robin and me skeptically, "these are the new recruits? One of them looks all brooding and mysterious, and the other guy looks like a fancy noble. You sure these guys'll be alright with us?"

"Of course," Chrom assured, "let me introduce you to them first," he showed Robin and me to the redhead, "This is Sully, she's been a good friend of mine since we were kids." He pointed to miss 'brooding and mysterious', "This is Robin, who'll be our newest tactician."

"Hello," the cloaked woman greeted.

The blue lord continued, "She was the one that led the guards against the brigands. From the way she defended the town, I can tell she'll be a good addition to the Shepherds."

"No kidding?" Sully smiled, "I don't really understand all that tactic stuff, but if Chrom liked the way you defended the town, then I say welcome to the club!"

Chrom showed the redhead to me, "And this here is Hazama. He lost his memory, and will be staying with the Shepherds."

"Hello," I bowed, "A pleasure to meet you."

"What? That's it?" Sully gave an unimpressed look to Chrom.

"No," the bluehead added, "he said that he took down four brigands and captured one of them, by himself no less."

"And you're just gonna take that at face value?" the red Shepherd sighed, "He doesn't look tough at all." Hey! I may not look tough, but I can dance circles around enemies like no tomorrow! "And it looks like he's squinting, don't tell me you hired a blind man into the Shepherds!" Now that's just rude…

"No," Chrom put his hand up, "of course not. I wouldn't hire someone who couldn't aid in battle. We're going to initiate him the old-fashioned way with Frederick, and we'll train him if he doesn't live up to expectations."

"Oh really?" Sully turned to me, "If you somehow pass the test with flying colors, you'll earn my respect, but until then I just don't see it happening."

"Oh, I'll definitely pass the test," I boasted, "There's more to me than meets the eye."

"Heh," the muscular woman's skepticism seemed to have loosened slightly, "Normally I'd say that you're just all just talk, but something tells me you got a lot of fight in ya."

Ruffles dramatically put his hand to his head, "Oh Sully! You wound me so! How can a stranger win your trust as opposed to I?"

"Cuz he didn't try hitting on me for like twenty-four hours straight," she deadpanned.

"But that is an exaggeration! I left you at least eight hours of respite at camp!"

"Yeah, you did stop talking," the red knight's face turned into a scowl, "right after I got knocked out by your nonstop flirting!"

Ruffles kept going on about how Sully 'wounds him'. Finally, Robin got us back on track, "Who are you?"

Ruffles lit up at Robin's question, "Me? I am a man of the ladies, a man of skill and cunning, I am the Archest of Archers, I am-"

"Oh him, he's Virion," Chrom interrupted, causing Virion's face to drop, "he offered me his services as a potential ally to Ylisse, and I wanted to see if he could fight. So, he showed me his abilities in archery," the young lord's face lit up, "and I couldn't refuse someone with such skill." Virion's face rose back up in pride from Chrom's words, "Five bullseyes in a row, on horseback nonetheless," some of the group were in awe at this, Sully more so than the others. My thoughts? Good for him I suppose. Chrom's face was still beaming in amazement, "Not even the Royal Guards could accomplish such a feat."

"Ahh yes," the fancily dressed archer started explaining, "in my homeland, I trained countless hours to hone my skills in archery. As you heard from the Prince, I am indeed the Archest of Archers."

"Huh, guess I was wrong about you Ruffles," Sully admitted.

The Archer's eyes lit up, "So does that mean you would consider having some tea with me this afternoon?"

"Fat chance," she shot down the Archer, no bow required.

Virion sighed, "That is rather unfortunate, but it was worth a try." He put his pointing finger up, "Worry not Sully, for I have not given up on wooing you with my achievements in life!"

"Wow, thanks," she deadpanned.

So, on our way to Ylisstol, Virion kept babbling to Sully about his training and warding off assassins. Not that anyone was listening.

* * *

"Look! We're almost there!" Lissa pointed ahead.

There were massive walls with Ylissian banners and flags dangling in the wind, and guard towers built on top of the walls.

"Robin," Chrom had a diplomatic tone, "I think it'd be best if you took off your hood."

"Why?" she asked.

"A cloaked figure would unsettle the people," he reasoned, "if they could see your face then that would ease their worries."

"I suppose you're right," she defeatedly admitted, "Very well," Robin removed her hood, revealing snow-white hair.

"There, much better," Chrom smiled, "There's no need to hide under that hood of yours. You are my friend and therefore an ally of Ylisse, I would see to it no harm is ever done to you."

She had a small smile, "Thank you".

* * *

We entered the capital, and it was pretty much like any other city. It was loud, busy, and crowded. Children were out playing, some vendors were selling stuff on the side of the street, and people were talking.

Robin seemed to have been taken aback by the sight of the bustling city, "Everyone is so," she paused, likely to take in information that was new to her, "lively. This is a typical day in Ylisstol?"

"That's right," confirmed Chrom with a prideful smile, "Did you expect the people to be frowning because of an oppressive rule?"

"Oh, gods no," Robin was mortified, "I did not mean any disrespect I just-"

Chrom laughed at the white-haired woman's attempts to clarify herself. "There is no need to be embarrassed. This is your first time here. Please, enjoy the scenery."

This eased up the tactician, "Very well."

A little while later, we saw the Exalt Emmeryn walk through the crowd. Chrom waved to his older sister as she passed by, while Lissa took it up a notch and started cheering for her sister. In response, the Exalt waved back to our little group.

Emmeryn appears to be dearly beloved by the people, and judging by the look in her eyes, I'd say the feeling's mutual. According to Chrom, it's because she led the people through rough times even when they initially rejected her. The people's faith in Emmeryn must be very strong for things to have changed so drastically from the past.

"Do you want to meet the Exalt?" Chrom offered, "It would be no trouble since she is my sister after all. What do you say?"

Robin's eyes widened, "Are you sure? I am but a wonderer, it would be socially unacceptable for me to show my presence in front of your leader."

"To hell with the social hierarchy," Chrom brushed off, "You don't see me speaking like some high and mighty noble, Emmeryn's no exception. I am very certain of my decision."

"I see," Robin started beaming, "It would be an honor to meet your sister."

"It will be done," Chrom nodded then turned to me, "And your decision Hazama?"

"No thanks," I dismissively put my hands up, "I think I should try and brush up my knowledge of the world before I do anything drastic like meet with the leader of a nation. I think I should head on over to the garrison first."

"Oh," looks like Chrom has an idea, "if you want to know more about the world, then you might find some books you'd be interested in at the library. Would you like that?"

"Yes actually," I smiled to show my gratitude, "that would be very helpful."

"Alright then," Chrom turned to the red knight, "Sully, could you show Hazama to the library?"

"Sure thing, Chrom," she accepted.

"And I will go too!" interjected Ruffles, "For I-"

"Yeah, yeah, good luck with that," Sully interrupted.

"But I-"

"I've already heard it a million times! I don't need to hear it a million and one times!"

Virion sighed in defeat, "Oh Sully, you really are a difficult one."

Chrom's party started splitting off from Sully, Virion, and me. "Ok then," the lord said, "We'll see you all back at the barracks."

"You too," I returned his farewell.

Everyone else started saying their goodbyes.

I just realized something, "Frederick, you're not coming with us to initiate me?"

"No," the vigilant knight answered matter-of-factly, "I must ensure milord and milady's safety at all times," he was likely thinking about Robin, "The initiation will have to wait."

"Ahh, yes. That makes sense. Guess I'll be waiting for you then."

With that, we went our separate ways.

* * *

"We're here."

I scanned the building Sully led the group to. It was quite large, and judging by what appears to be mages entering and exiting the building, the size of the library was likely because it doubles as a place for mages to study their magic. I wonder if the mages have any political say in Ylisse. A library ran by people that hold considerable political and military power, something about that seems familiar.

As we began walking into the library, Sully gave me a heads up, "You can go ahead and find whatever books you want. I'm gonna just sit around and enjoy some peace and quiet."

When we entered the library, Virion perked up to talk to the red knight, "My dear Sully-"

Sully shushed Virion and whispered to him, "This is a library, don't talk so loud."

The noble looked around at the various people glaring at him, "Oh," he whispered and apologetically bowed, "I am terribly sorry. Excuse my rude entrance."

"Oh my," I whispered to Sully in abidance to the library's rules, "were you planning on this from the start?"

"Yep," Sully said stone-faced. She took in a breath of fresh air and calmly exhaled, "Now I can finally get some peace and quiet." It was kind of ridiculous that we were constantly whispering to each other, but rules are rules and I'm a model citizen. "Well I'll see ya," she and Virion went to go find seats, "When you're done you can come and get me then we'll head on over to the garrison."

"Got it," I waved goodbye, "See you too."

I checked in with a librarian, and he showed me to the sections where I could find light books about contemporary history, technology, and the different nations of the world. I got a book from each section and went to Sully so she could check out the books for me. Apparently, one of the perks of being a knight was that you could check the book out for at least a month, which is very helpful considering the fact that soldiers may have to go out of town for long periods of time. With my books checked out, I carried them to my chest, and Sully, Virion, and I headed to the Shepherds' barracks.

* * *

"Well, this here's our garrison," announced Sully.

"It's big," I dully said, it was rather small compared to the library. We entered the front door and we were greeted by the sight of three people. One was a kindly dark-grey haired woman pacing around in worry, the sitting in a relaxed position on a table next to the entrance was a carefree bare-chested man, and the one sitting at the far back was a posh blonde young woman enjoying tea.

"Har har!" laughed the man as he got up from his seat, "If it isn't Sully! Who's the two strangers you brought with you!"

"Hey Vaike, these two are some guys Chrom let into the Shepherds," Sully showed the archer to the man I now know as Vaike, "Ruffles here is Virion."

"Greetings, it is an honor to meet my esteemed allies," Virion bowed in genuine enthusiasm.

Sully pointed her thumb to me, "And the guy with the green hair is Hazama."

"Hello," I bowed with my books to the side of my right hand, "it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Sheesh," Vaike had a look of thoughtfulness, "Chrom's been getting some fancy help," he started laughing, "But if Chrom's ok with you guys, then the Vaike says welcome to the club!" Hmm, did he just refer to himself in the third person? What strange mannerisms…

The dark-grey haired woman started walking to us, "Hello-OH!" she tripped onto the ground, "Not again…" Sheesh, the Shepherds are made up of very strange people. I wonder what the girl at the back has as a quirk.

Vaike walked over and helped the fallen woman up, "Up and at 'em! Teach's got your back!"

"Thank you, Vaike," the clumsy woman said in gratitude. She made her way to Virion and me, and did a small respectful bowed to us, "My name is Sumia, welcome to the Shepherds."

We exchanged greetings, and Virion added to his own greet, "I would love to chat with you Sumia, but I have not finished my talks with dear Sully."

"When's our chat ending?" Sully asked unenthusiastically.

"Why until I've worked my way into your heart, of course."

Sully dismissively put her hands to her hips, "I think the only way you'd be able to do that is if you were the last man on earth."

"Sully," Virion had a hurt expression, but was still resolute, "don't be that way! I am competent like any other fine men of this earth! If you would open your heart to me, I am sure you would find me a worthy man!"

"Yeah whatever."

The woman at the back was still drinking tea. I pointed at her, "Who's she?"

"Oh her?" Vaike answered with a smile, "She's Maribelle, Lissa's friend. She might be a stick in the mud, but she's not so bad once you get to know her."

"I am no stick in the mud," Maribelle promptly replied, "I simply prefer to keep to my own devices and engage in more conservative activities." She has a rich attitude. Well I guess it isn't so much a quirk as just being raised in a rich family, but I digress.

I noticed that despite her attitude, Maribelle didn't talk to Vaike as if he were a lowly barbarian. She must not be the typical snobby noble.

"You guys go ahead and have fun," Sully went deeper into the building, "I'm gonna go train on some practice dummies."

"Wait for me my love!" Virion predictably went after her, "It is about time we spent some quality time alone together!"

"We've already spent like a day and a half together. We've spent enough time together as it is."

As the two's conversation faded, the remaining group turned to me, excluding Maribelle who just focused on drinking her tea.

"So what's your story, Haz?" Vaike audaciously asked, "How'd you convince Chrom to let you become a Shepherd?"

I pointed to my head, "Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick found me with amnesia. I can't remember a thing before that."

"Oh," Sumia voiced her concern, "that's horrible."

I continued my story, "I killed a couple of bandits in Southtown and looted two knives from the one I captured alive. Chrom said he wanted me to join because he thinks I might be a good fighter, but for the most part, I think he let me join out of pity."

"Nah," Vaike disagreed, "I have more faith in Chrom. He sees something in you, like he did with all of us."

"I agree with Vaike," Sumia said admiringly, likely towards Chrom "I'm just a nervous klutz, but I was let into the Shepherds because I had decent combat skills and had the will to protect the people. I know Chrom wants to help others, but I don't believe he would send a defenseless man on the frontlines."

"Actually," I started, "Chrom said that Frederick's going to test out my combat capabilities when he gets back.

"Wait, you're fighting Frederick!?" Vaike started grinning, "Teach has gotta see this!"

"A spar? Like with initiation?" Sumia thought back, "I remember my first time sparring with Frederick. He had to go easy on me to see how good I was in a fight. I believe I still have a ways to go before I can match him in combat," she made a determined face, "but I won't give up!"

"Alright. Well I'm going to read and wait for Frederick. I'll be seeing you guys later."

The shirtless warrior gave me a thumbs up, "Vaike's gonna cheer you on against Frederick, Haz!"

"I'll be there to support you," Sumia offered her kindness.

"Thank you," I smiled to reward their generosity, "you're both too kind."

I left Sumia and Vaike to talk to each other, and I placed my three books on Maribelle's table. I opened up one of the books and started skimming.

Maribelle glanced at my book, "What is it that you are reading?"

I stopped skimming the book to concentrate on the conversation, "Ylisstol: The Dark Crusade and the Light of Peace. It's supposed to be about recent Ylissian history with Plegia. This'll be good for understanding the motives of each nation. And you can't know too much with amnesia."

"Ahh, the Dark Crusade," Maribelle nodded her head, "Those were truly trying times, especially for my dear Lissa."

Maribelle gave me a questioning glance, "Reading to try and reconnect with the world, are we?"

"Yeah, more or less."

"That is very dedicated of you," Maribelle praised, "Do you not feel fear of not remembering your past?"

"Well, I could mope and do nothing, or I could actually do something about my situation. It wasn't exactly a hard decision for me to make."

"A man of action," she observed, "I can respect that quality of yours."

"Thanks," we paused a moment, "So, you're friends with Lissa. How'd the two of you become friends in the first place? The two of you have radically different personalities."

"I suppose she is a bit of a prankster," Maribelle agreed, "Let us just say that where other nobles derided me, Lissa accepted me."

"So there _are_ nobles like that. The snobby ones with no common sense."

"I suppose you could say that.," she took a sip from her tea.

We sat in silence for a bit. I went back to skimming my book for useful information, and from the peripheral of my vision, I could distinctly see Maribelle studying me from top to bottom. Was she taking notice to my stylish clothes?

I suddenly heard something and looked around, but all I saw was Maribelle, and Vaike and Sumia were still at the front. "Did you hear something?" I asked Maribelle.

She shook her head, "No," she earnestly replied, "why do you ask?"

"I could've sworn I heard a new voice say something, but it must've been my imagination," I thought I heard a sigh after that. I just shrugged and kept on skimming through the contents of my book.

* * *

Through skimming and skipping useless text, I got about halfway through the book. The interesting tidbits that I read we very enlightening. The previous Exalt Lucian, Chrom's father, was the one that started a crusade against Plegia. His reasoning for the war was because the people of Plegia worshipped a god of death, therefore they were a threat to the world. The Exalt sent his army to cleanse Plegia of its people, but the king of Plegia, Baxius, sent out his army to defend his own people. At first, Ylissians supported the war because they loved their leader and thought he could do no wrong, but as the war dragged on, food became scarce, many Ylissians were taken from their homes and conscripted into the army, and the atrocities the Ylissian army did to the innocent civilians of Plegia became too much for the people of Ylisse to bear. The Exalt was remembered as a monster. The most important battle was when Lucian and a group of his elites were in pursuit of Plegian civilians, Baxius and the soldiers with him sacrificed themselves to save the people. It was reported when it was just the Lucian and Baxius, they were found with a sword impaled into their stomachs, Falchion in Baxius' and a Plegian blade in Lucian's.

I gained quite a bit of information from this book. I now know why people gave Emmeryn such a rough time in the beginning, and why Plegians would want to go to destabilize Ylisse. Everything's starting to make sense.

The door creaked open as someone entered the barracks, it was Frederick "Ready yourself Hazama, we will begin our sparring session shorty."

I got up from my seat to address the butler knight, "Alright," when I saw him, I was greeted with a rare sight, "Oh my, Chrom and Lissa aren't with you?"

"No, they are not," Frederick simply said, while taking off his armor, revealing the suit he wore underneath, his broad shoulders, and a puffed chest of muscle, "They are under the protection of the Royal Guards now."

"I see," I gave him a quizzical look, "but I thought you attended to your lord and lady at all times. Are you shirking your duties?"

Frederick gave me an unamused look, putting on light leather armor, "I take my duties very seriously," he answered sternly to my little goad, "I reluctantly left my royals. And I am not neglecting my duties, I have others as well," he grabbed two wooden training swords and handed one to me, "Like ensuring that one of the Shepherds can fight. Are you fighting in that attire?" he pointed out my lack of protection.

"Yes, I'm fine with fighting in these clothes. I prefer having as little weight as possible."

"Very well. Then come," he gestured for me to follow him outside, "it is time."

I shrugged, "If you say so~"

* * *

Frederick and I faced each other, and true to word, Vaike and Sumia followed us to support me. A small audience which included several civilians encircled Frederick and me.

A training sword huh. I'm not exactly a sword fighter, this could be troublesome. "So, are there any rules I should be aware of?" I asked Frederick, needing any advantage in combat I could get, "Except for maliciously injuring your opponent, that one's pretty obvious."

"You are to fight using only your sword and wits, this is a test of your abilities, not resourcefulness. Fighting dirty is not permitted."

"I see, well that's too bad, but it can't be helped," I'm at a slight disadvantage. I can't kick or punch in this fight. I'll have to rely on my reflexes and agility for this then, "I'm ready when you are."

"Very well," Frederick started explaining the rules, "Disarming your opponent of their sword or striking them with your sword counts as a win. We fight till one of us acquires two wins."

"Sounds simple enough."

Frederick readied his training sword by gripping it with both his hands, so I did the same, "Then let us begin."

We waited for one another to make a move.

Seeing how Frederick has broad shoulders and toned muscles, and seeing how I have a slender form, it would be less than optimal for me to compete against his strength.

Frederick thrust his sword at me, so I spun around the attack, gripping my sword solely in my right hand, and struck his shoulder. The crowd gasped at my single stroke win.

"Oh my!" Sumia was the first to speak.

"He beat Frederick!" Vaike voiced the crowd's thoughts.

"Very good. This round is yours," Frederick said with genuine respect, "but do not celebrate just yet. We have yet to finish."

We went back to our starting places, "Begin."

Frederick immediately went on the offensive, attacking me with short thrusts and swipes that greatly reduced any openings he initially had.

I kept on dodging and analyzed Frederick's pattern of fighting. He was holding his sword primarily to his right, which exposed his right leg a bit. Biding my time, I readied the sword in my right hand. When Frederick swiped his sword to my left, I saw his opening. I thrust my sword at Frederick's right leg.

My attack was blocked from below. Frederick was now holding his sword in his lone right hand, sacrificing power for agility. Damn, it was a feint. We both gripped our swords with both of our hands, Frederick trying to overpower me, and me trying to not get hit. The knight angled his sword in a way that severely limited my options for dodging if I were to try and quit this contest of strength.

The crowd went ballistic. Some cheered for me, the new and mysterious green man, but more cheered for Frederick the local hero.

"C'mon Haz!" cheered Vaike, "You can do it! I believe in you!" Try taking on someone a lot stronger than you. We're not some gods that needs prayer to win, we're just normal people with very real limitations.

My grip was slowly loosening. I would like to get out of this locking of swords, but my options were severely limited. I had over extended in my attack, Frederick's sword was bound to hit me no matter where I dodged, and if I dodged then I would lose my grip on my sword.

As my grip was nearing its limit, I chose the less painful option and got the heck out of dodge of Frederick's killer rising swing at the expense of my grip, sending my poor sword flying into the air.

The crowd cheered Frederick for his point win.

"Aww," Vaike voiced his disappointment.

"My win," the knight announced.

"Don't worry Haz, you'll get him this time!

"I agree with Vaike," Sumia cheered, "You've won one round, you can do it again!"

Thank you for your words of comfort, I'm just going to take a deep breath and relax my tense muscles a bit.

I went over to where my sword dropped and picked it up. I gripped it with both my hands, and Frederick did the same with his. We went to our starting places once again.

This is it. Match point. "Begin."

The knight once again went on the offensive and instead of dodging, I clashed with his sword and withdrew as soon as I could. Create as much distance between us as possible, find any openings I can, and don't get caught in a bad position.

The more we swung our swords, the more tired I got. I'm not cut out for prolonged fights of endurance. I have to end this, fast.

I couldn't find any good openings, just that spot where Frederick used his feint. I'm getting desperate, my strength is waning. I need to win, now.

I left my double grip in favor of using the sword in my right hand and once again went for Frederick's right leg. He once again abandoned his double grip as well and went to block my attack. Instead of going through with the attack, I pulled back and twirled around to the right of the knight. I tried to run around his back and he quickly turned to face me. As he turned right, I turned to his exposed left instead. As he turned left, I went to his right instead. He followed my every movement.

The crowd started cheering again, but with even more vigor.

I raised my sword up to strike Frederick's left shoulder, and put my left hand to my stomach, just below my sword. He raised his own sword to defend himself. I dropped my sword from my right hand into my left and lunged for the knight's right leg instead.

I could hear the crowd gasp and Sumia squeak.

He swung with all his might to counter my strike, but I instead pulled back my sword and twirled around. He swung and missed, he was wide open. Sword still in my left hand, I swung at Frederick and struck him to the side of his stomach.

The crowd went silent

After a while, there was clapping. It was Vaike, "Way to go Haz! You're a beast! You too Frederick! You were a powerhouse!"

The audience joined in cheering and clapped for the both of us.

"Way to go you two!" Sumia cheered.

"Impressive, Hazama" Frederick himself formally congratulated me with a proud smile, "I believe milord has found a formidable fighter for the Shepherds. You lack the strength and endurance of a warrior," he noted, "but you are also very skilled at outmaneuvering your opponent. You out bested even me, a trained knight. You must have a lifetime of experience in combat."

That's true and very perplexing, "Yeah, you're right. But it's strange that I'm so adept at fighting and arrived to the prince and princess of Ylisse. Was I sent here for some kind of secret mission or something?"

"Whatever it may be, you have earned your way into the ranks of the Shepherds. I admire your skill and wit in combat. I welcome you to the Shepherds."

The crowd disbanded, and the Shepherds returned to our garrison.

* * *

Frederick was now in his original suit of armor, "With your initiation complete, we now know that you are fully capable of facing the frontlines with us. I will report this to Chrom at once." With that, Frederick exited the garrison.

Sumia went up to and smiled to me, "That was amazing Hazama. I never thought I'd see someone outside of Chrom and the Royal Guards best Frederick in combat. To be honest," her smile turned bashful, "I put my hands to my mouth out of sheer anticipation when you dropped your sword to your other hand. The tension escalated very quickly from then on."

"You're welcome for the performance," I replied to show gratitude for her cheering me on, it would be rude not to, "It was my pleasure to perform for you."

She giggled, "Thank you Hazama." Sumia stayed near the front entrance, likely waiting for Chrom.

I went back to the same table as Maribelle, walked across the suit of armor of an orange knight, and picked up the book I was reading and continued where I left off… Wait, was that armor always there? I looked up at the armor.

"Hi."

"Woah!" It waved! It waved! "Wait a minute," I stared more closely at the armor's very organic and not helmeted face, "you're not a statue."

"Oh, so you finally noticed me," he said, although not disrespectfully, "I've been trying to get your attention for a while."

"My apologies," I turned to the orange knight that was definitely not a statue, "I somehow didn't see you there."

"It's fine," I didn't miss the dejected tone of the knight, "it happens to me all the time." Oh God, his tone was cultivated through years of pain and apathy.

"I can't really see how with that big and heavy armor you wear. How does that even happen?" I mean seriously, how? It just isn't scientifically possible.

"I don't know, it just kind of happens."

"I see…" this is getting awkward, "So, how long have you been there?"

"I've been here since you first came in here with Sully and Virion."

"Oh good God," he was the voice I heard with Maribelle, wasn't he? "Did you try and introduce yourself to us?"

"I did, and no one even heard me. My name's Kellam by the way."

Now this is getting ridiculous, "Uhh, hi Kellam. Were you there for my spar with Frederick?"

"Yeah, I was in the crowd of people that was watching." So Kellam was in the back of the crowd? "I was in the front," I am cringing internally as we speak, "I saw how you beat Frederick. Congratulations by the way."

"Err, thanks," I put my palm to my face, "Oh God, how is this even real?"

That earned me a shrug from the orange knight.

Maribelle gave me a concerned look mixed with deep sympathy, "Who are you talking to Hazama? This isn't your amnesia, is it?" … You're kidding, right? Don't tell me you didn't hear Kellam's name and just thought I was talking to a statue like a crazy person.

I pointed my thumb to the somehow invisible knight, and I gave a one-word response "Kellam."

"Kellam?" Maribelle did a double take at what she likely thought was a statue. Her face lit up in realization, "Oh gods! My apologies Kellam, I did not notice you there."

"It's fine."

…This is _very_ surreal. I grabbed my book that I threw into the air when I found Kellam and continued to read my book. I need to ground myself back into reality after that. That was atrocious, absolutely, positively atrocious.

* * *

When the door of the garrison creaked open, I looked up from my book to see Lissa and Robin.

"Here we are!" the princess announced to Robin, "The Shepherds' garrison. Go on, Make yourself at home."

Maribelle ran up to Lissa, no doubt worried for the princess' wellbeing.

While they talked away, I decided to strike up a conversation of my own, "Hello Robin. How was it seeing the Exalt?"

"It was a refreshing experience. She was very kind. She's nothing like I thought she was when I first set foot on Ylissian soil."

"That's a good thing correct?"

"Correct," Robin started elaborating, "The Ylissian royalty was not what I expected," her face started showing contempt, "Most people I know of high social standing tend to be dogmatic and prejudiced towards others. But Chrom, Lissa, and Emmeryn," she now had a serene look, her silent wrath forgotten "they are the exact opposite of that. They are accepting and supportive of everyone. I have heard of the many charitable deeds they performed during my travels, but I dismissed those words as the patriotic ramblings of the native people. But now I see that the people truly do respect their royalty."

"I see," I started thinking idly to myself, "I wonder how things will go when I meet her."

"I believe it would be a broadening experience," Robin answered, "if not then a pleasant one." I don't doubt that. Emmeryn really had a profound effect on Robin. She's really smiling and expressing herself more.

I noticed Sumia turn to Lissa, "Beg pardon, but when might we see the captain?"

My mouth started moving on its own, "Do you need to see Captain Hazama? If so, then I'm right here," everyone started staring at me for some reason… "Wait, what?" I shook my head to get my bearings. What did I just say? Captain Hazama? Why would I say that?

Lissa looked at me with concern, "Are you feeling alright Hazama? Is your amnesia acting up again?"

"Yeah, sorry," I apologized to ease everyone's confusion, "my mind kind of slipped there. I don't know what came over me."

Was I a captain of some sort? Does that mean I was a part of a military? That would explain why I'm so good at fighting. I doubt I'm the captain of a ship, even if I came from overseas. Although that would've helped with getting back to Chon'sin, sailing skills and all. What also seems strange was that I immediately answered to the title captain. Was I really called captain so much in the past for me to answer to it as if it were my name?

The sound of the door opening snapped me out of my thoughts. It was Chrom and Frederick.

"Ahh! Captain!" Sumia started walking towards Chrom, "You've returned! I was- I mean, we were so-" she then tripped on papers on the floor and landed on her face with a loud thud. Ouch, that sounded like it hurt.

Chrom voiced concern for her, causing her to quickly get up and dust herself off.

"Sumia! Are you all right? It's your boots again, isn't it?"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean," she just sighed in defeat.

Judging by the fact she didn't stutter that much in front of me and that she talked about Chrom so reverently, I don't believe it's just the boots causing her to trip.

"We'll I got news for everyone. We'll be headed for Regna Ferox tomorrow morning."

"Regna Ferox!?" Lissa squealed in delight, "The place is all covered in snow! We can do snowball fights, build snowmen, and go sledding! It'll be great!"

* * *

"This is the worst idea, ev-ah-ah-ahhhhchoo!" the disappointed princess was miserable. A little while ago, Frederick got her a coat, but she's still sneezing like crazy.

"Are you ok, Milady! Do you require another coat!? Or perhaps a blanket!?"

"No thanks Frederick," Lissa politely refused, "I'm fi-ahhhchoo!" she made a miserable noise. I feel like I've had terrible cases where I sneezed a lot too. I could sympathize with her ordeal.

Chrom looked back at his sister reassuringly, "Don't worry Lissa, we'll make camp soon, so we'll all enjoy a nice camp fire in no time."

"W-We better," she shivered, "Achoo! Ugh…"

"Here milady," Frederick offered a handkerchief.

"Thanks Frederick," Lissa said with a stuffy nose, "you're always there when we need you."

With that, we continued to Longfort. While we were on our way to Regna Ferox, the green knight, Stahl, and the mage, Miriel, who are already part of the Shepherds joined us. Apparently Vaike forgot to tell Stahl about the mission in Regna Ferox, so Miriel had to tell the knight instead. Also, Sumia managed to tame a feral pegasus, well that was a thing. Maribelle didn't join us because she had official business in Ylisstol for her city called Themis. But now that things have settled down, it's a good time to go over my situation in my head.

I keep on thinking about technology that doesn't exist in this world, yet my mind just knows that I've used them before. So I must've came from the future, there's no other explanation. Maybe I'm in a forgotten chapter of humanity where magic was prevalent? I do distinctly remember that magic existed in my time. But then again, my ignorance could be attributed to my memory loss, so there's that too…

This is all very troublesome. There's so many questions I have, and there's no easy way to find my answers. I suppose staying with the Shepherds will help me in the long run, especially with their ties to royalty. I should at least be able to get a favor in order to travel to Chon'sin, but for right now, I should just bide my time and build up the Shepherds' trust. Can't just go demanding big favors on day one.

Another thing, I wonder where Kellam's at.

* * *

 **Author Notes: Hey guys, I lied about updating 10 years later. Yeah I know, I'm a scumbag. Good news, I'm currently in college, so I should be able to keep my word for updating in 10 years, so yay.**

 **Now that I think about it, this fic is also kinda inspired by metallover's stories about Fire Emblem Awakening. You guys should go check it out some time, I certainly believe they're well written.**

 **I've been trying to find ways to write better fanfiction through guides, reading and understanding the styles of other fanfiction, and reading the original sources. And man it's difficult. Trying to keep everything in character for this fic was what kind of drove me away from it for a while because there's just so many freaking characters! But I'm back, and ready to upload the next chapter in the next several years. Until next time, stay frosty.**

 **Also, in the name of Susanoo, I claim the first update of the year to BlazBlue Crossover fics! Bow before greatness and good times! Bow! Bow!**


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